Story by Bruce Chahwanda, Political Editor
AS parliamentary debate on the Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill gathers momentum, figures emerging from the 90-day public consultation process reveal one of the most extensive public participation exercises in Zimbabwe’s recent constitutional history.
Statistics presented to Parliament on Wednesday by the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Honourable Edison Zvobgo Junior, show that Zimbabweans engaged significantly with the proposed constitutional amendments through both physical and electronic submissions.
In addition to participating in public hearings held across the country, citizens submitted a total of 540 037 written representations to Parliament.
Of these, 537 102 submissions supported the Bill, while 2 935 opposed it.
Total submissions: 540 037
Submissions in support: 537 102
Submissions against: 2 935
The figures translate to support levels of more than 99 percent among those who made written submissions.
Political analysts Mr Dereck Goto and Dr Mathew Mare commended Zimbabweans for actively participating in the consultation process and contributing to the national debate on the proposed constitutional amendments.
“If we look at the figures that were tabled yesterday in Parliament concerning Constitutional Amendment Number 3, we see that a total of 540,000 submissions were made. That alone shows that this has been one of the most widely participated constitutional processes in recent history in Zimbabwe. Normally, the figures are much lower in terms of participation.
“Secondly, the key takeaway is that over 99 percent of the submissions, both physical and electronic were in favour of the Amendment Bill. What this means is that as the debate proceeds in Parliament, Zimbabweans will expect their will, as expressed in the submissions, to be respected by their representatives in Parliament,” he said.
“If you look at these numbers, they reflect what we were witnessing during the public hearings. There was an overwhelming response. People came in their numbers and spoke about CAB 3 with clarity. These numbers are a reflection of what we all saw,” said Dr Mathew Mare.
The Joint Committee that analysed the submissions comprised the Portfolio Committees on Women Affairs, Community and SMEs Development; Defence, Home Affairs, Security Services and War Veterans Affairs; Local Government, Public Works and National Housing; and Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training, as well as the Thematic Committees on Human Rights; Peace and Security; and Gender and Development.
